A Covert Affair

July 1, 2017
Some librarians will do anything to answer an interesting reference question.Quinn Ellington may not look like a spy, but that's because she's a librarian. Well, OK, she's also a spy-in-training for the CIA. When a reception at the Library of Congress is attacked by terrorists who kidnap invaluable sacred texts as well as the Indian ambassador to the United States, she's asked to put her training to use sooner than expected. Along with her boyfriend, James Anderson--aka "Mr. I Have a Security Clearance and You Don't"--she heads to India to unravel a decades-old library mystery and save the life of the ambassador. While the relationship between Quinn and James is supposedly the heart of this romance novel, nearly every other element of the story gets more attention, including extensive detail about the history of conflict between Sikhs and the Indian government. Those hoping to read spicy scenes between each episode of spycraft may be disappointed, as reconnaissance and research take more time than lovemaking, and the characters' initial courtship is already well-established from the first book in the series, The Librarian and the Spy (2017). Readers looking for more suspense than romance, however, will enjoy the complex plot, as will readers who appreciate detailed back story. Mann, a librarian herself, has created a heroine any bookish reader will value, and most will finish the story hoping Quinn and James' long-distance relationship has a future, if only because it's nice to think 007 would have wanted a librarian of his own. A contemporary romance in which suspense drives the plot rather than passion.

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Starred review from August 1, 2017
Mann continues the tale of intrepid reference librarian Quinn Ellington, first met in The Librarian and the Spy (2017) and now a CIA librarian. During a black-tie grand opening of an exhibit of rare Indian manuscripts at the Library of Congress, things quickly turn chaotic when someone throws a stun grenade into the crowd. All clues lead to India, and soon Quinn is off on an international assignment with her hunky secret-agent boyfriend, James Anderson. Their mission: find the kidnapped Indian ambassador as well as the priceless manuscripts stolen during the event. Mann's latest spy caper is filled with danger, suspense, and a healthy helping of humor. Exquisite details of Indian life and culture are woven into the story, giving the reader a true sense of place. Libraries will definitely want both books in Mann's Librarian/Spy Escapade series, with a third to come.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)